alexis wineman spent time alone. >> i was very quiet because i couldn't say anything right. i was picked on for the way i spoke. i didn't have any friends. >> her parents knew there was something wrong, but the small town didn't have the resources to figure out what it was. at the age of 11 after years and years of searching for answers, a doctor put a name to wineman's condition. pervasive development disorder, a mild form of autism. >> children with autism are very intelligent, but very quiet and socially awkward and don't respond appropriately to interactions with other people. typically they don't become beauty queens either, but one day she simply decided not to let her condition define her. >> i longed to accept myself and my autism and i realized my autism is not what defines me. i define what is autism. >> she entered the pageant as a way to prove she can do anything she set her mind to. >> i fell in love with the program and it's a good thing because i won. it's funny how things work out sometimes. >> that are win put her on the national stage in las vegas. >> miss